Breastfeeding most beneficial in 'power hour'

Published 8:10 pm, Sunday, February 17, 2013

Thousands of babies' lives worldwide could be saved if all mothers breast-fed their babies within the first hour of life, according to a report released Sunday by Westport-based Save the Children.

The report, "Superfood for Babies," states that at least 830,000 babies could be saved every year by being fed during what breast-feeding advocates call the "power hour." Many of these lives would be saved in developing nations such as Ghana and Nepal, the report said.

"One of the most effective things a mother can do is breast-feed in that first hour," Save the Children President and Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Miles said. "It's that early milk (called colostrum) that's so important. It has a lot of immunizing powers."

Mothers who breastf-eed in that first hour are also more likely to breast-feed exclusively for the first six months of life. In poorer countries, Miles said, breast-feeding is particularly important, as it can help prevent malnutrition, which causes some 2.5 million child deaths a year. But, even in industrialized countries, breast-feeding has a multitude of health benefits, including a lower chance of such illnesses as SIDS, cancer and diabetes, advocates say.

Yet even despite the benefits, many women who do not breast-feed. According to the Save the Children report, global rates of breast-feeding have remained below 40 percent for the past 20 years.

There are four main barriers to breast-feeding -- cultural and community pressures, a shortage of health workers, a lack of maternity legislation and the aggressive marketing of breast milk substitutes, Miles said. The majority of these are bigger problems abroad, but moms in the U.S. also face barriers to breast-feeding, such no legislation requiring paid medical leave, Miles said.

Another barrier in the states is a dearth of hospitals designated by the World Health Organization as "Baby Friendly." These hospitals help mothers initiate breastf-eeding within one hour of birth. There are about five Baby Friendly hospitals in Connecticut, including St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport and Griffin Hospital in Derby. Denise Bulpitt, a lactation consultant at St. Vincent's said getting moms to breast-feed in the first hour is a major piece of the Baby Friendly philosophy. "It's extremely crucial," she said. "As soon as the baby is born, if the baby is OK, we put them right on the mother's chest."